Hopedale students featured in Discovery Education video

Thursday

May 1, 2014 at 1:00 AM

By Zachary ComeauDaily News Staff

HOPEDALE - Thanks to Hopedale Jr.-Sr. High School science teacher Anne LaBrode, the school is now on the map and opening new career paths for students interested in a STEM career.LaBrode was one of 50 middle- and high-school teachers from around the country selected to participate in last summer’s Siemens STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) Institute at the world headquarters of Discovery Communcations Inc. in Maryland. And she helped bring what she learned to Hopedale.She also brought cameras.This winter officials from Discovery Communications, which hosts the Discovery Channel on cable TV, contacted her about piloting a new program, "From the Ground Up: the Science of Soil," an interdisciplinary set of lesson plans that focuses on different aspects of "soil, science and agriculture."Discovery then filmed the two classes piloting the program and interviewed students, LaBrode and seventh-grade science teacher Caitlin McInnis, who also taught one of the program's lessons.The video, a promotional tool for Discovery Communications, is available at www.thescienceofsoil.com."It talks about life science, real world issues and how we’re going to feed our growing population," LaBrode said.LaBrode, after learning that Discovery was going to come to the school to capture footage of students participating in the lesson plan, chose a lesson involving nutrients and the periodic table of elements."It was a review of our chemistry unit and an introduction into the human body systems unit, which I’m starting to teach now," she said.According to LaBrode, students in her class worked in groups on activities where they discovered what nutrients, minerals and vitamins humans need as opposed to plants and animals.She said the hands-on experience, which students don’t always get in the classroom, is valuable."They get to stop, do something and discuss it," she said. "They aren’t just sitting there listening to a lecture or a PowerPoint."LaBrode and McInnis were both invited to the National Science Teachers Association Conference in Boston earlier this month, where they talked about their experience with the program and debuted the Discovery Education footage."You can see from the video that the kids enjoyed it," she said. "Discovery is really good at capturing the students’ attention."Zachary Comeau can be reached at 508-634-7556 and zcomeau@wickedlocal.com. Follow him on Twitter @ZComeau_MDN.